Improvement in flour-packers



3 Sheets-Sheet 1" F. WOLF. Flour-Packer.

No. 197,533. Patented Nov; 27, 18,77.

3 Sheets-Sh e t 2.

F. WOLF, Flour-Packer.

- No. 197,533] Patented Nov. 27,1877.

3 Sheets-Sheep 3. F. WOLF. Flour-Packer.

Patented Nov. 27, 1877.

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rnnnnnrox worn, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOUR-PACKERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,533, dated November27, 1877; application filed November 27, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WOLF, a resident of the city ofCincinnati, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Flour-Packers, of which the following is aspecification:

My invention relates to that class of machines which are employed forpacking fiour or other pulverized or ground materials into barrels orsimilar receptacles; andmy improvements are more especially applicableto the form of apparatus patented by Judson Mattison, March 9, 1858, andarefully described hereinafter, having for their objects to properly anduniformly feed the flour and regulate the movements of the platformsupporting the barrel.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a view, in perspective, of my improved packer, the platform beingshown in its elevated position, and .the clutch-coupling disengaged.Fig. 2 is an axial section. through the lower part of the cylinder ortrunk. Fig. 3 is a view, in perspective, of the fImnel-section, with thecylinder detached therefrom; Fig. 4, a detached perspective view. Fig. 5is an elevation of the disengaging mechanism. Fig. 6 is a view, inperspective, of the devices employed for counterbalancing the platform;and Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the hopper and funnel.

ver, 1), situated at the rear side of the machine.

This gate or cut-off serves to regulate the quantity of flour thatescapes from hopper B into funnel O, which latter is attached to theframe of the machine in the manner represented,orinanyotherconvenientway. Coupled to the neck 0 of this funnel, bybolts d or otherwise, is a removable trunk, cylinder, or conductor, D,that conveys the flour or other pulverized material into the barrel.

By thus temporarily coupling the cylinder to the funnel-section, I amenabled to readily apply a trunk of greater or less length or diameter,according to the kind of receptacle that is to be filled, whether it bea barrel, halfbarrcl, or bag.

Occupying an axial position within the fun-'- nel G and cylinder D is ashaft, E, the lower end of which carries two separate and distinct pairsof screws or angers, F F and G G, which are respectively attached tosaid shaft by means of set-screws.

In applying these screws to their drivingshaft IE, it should be done insuch a manner as to bring the open spaces between the upper pairs F F,directly above the solid portions of thelower screws GG,as thisarrangement will completely obstruct the cylinder, and efiectuallyprevent any escape of flour from the cylinder when its lower end isexposed by the removal of the filled barrel.

Attached to shaftE is one ormore radial arms, 0, which act to agitatethe flour within funnel O, and thereby prevent it becoming clogged orchoked up.

H is a clutch-coupling, which is capable of being thrown either in oroutof gear with bevel-wheel h, by means" of lever I, whose office willpresently appear. The wheel h meshes with another bevel-wheel, J,secured to a horizontal shaft, j, that is rotated by a band passingaround the pulley j.

K represents the flour-barrel, which is supported upon a platform, L,attached to a cage, M, whose cross-beam m is connected to thewinding-drum N by means of two or more chains, ropes, or other flexibleconnections, 0 O. The lower ends of these connections take hold ofring-bolts 0, which traverse the beam m, and

riphery of which is passed a strap, 8, that is connected to a lever, T,upon which rides a shiftable weight, t. V

The object of this strap and weight is to produce a greater or lessdegree of friction upon the wheel S, and thereby act as a brake ortension device to regulate'the rotation of drum N.

The clutch-lever I, previously alluded to, has attached to its outer enda rope, U, which, after passing over two rollers, u u, carries a weight,V, that is heavy enough to disengage the coupling H as soon as saidlever is 1mlocked by the descending platform.

This unlocking of the lever is accomplished in the following manner: Byreferring to Fig. 1, it will be noticed that a connecting-rod, W,extends from said lever to a hand-lever, X, the latter being pivoted ata: to the stanchion a. Secured to this hand-lever is a hookcatch, Y,that is adapted to engage under a strap, 9 which is attached to the mainframe of the machine. y is a guard that prevents the hook Y becomingaccidentally disengaged from the stop. Z is an adjustable tappet that issecured at any suitable elevation on the cage M of the platform.

The operation of my packer is as follows: An appropriate cylinder, D, isfirst applied to the neck 0 of funnelO; the barrel K is then properlylocated upon platform L, and the latter elevated by rotating thewinding-drum N with hand-wheel 1?. As soon as the platform has beenelevated far enough, the cage M strikes against the fixed cushions z,and thereby arrests the further movement of the devices L M. The weight15 is now adjusted upon lever T, the gate B opened, and the catchengaged under stop y. The flour at once flows down hopper B into funnelO, and thence into conductor D, as indicated by arrows in t Fig. 7.

The engagement of catch Y with stop y throws the coupling H in gear, andconse quently the shaft E is driven by shaft j. This rotation of axialshaft E causes a corresponding movement of the'two pairs of attachedscrews F F and G G, which act to pack the flour evenly in the barrel.This continued and forcible packing of the flour causes a correspondingdescent of the platform, and as soon as the latter has been carried downfar enough to insure the complete filling of the barrel the tappet Zstrikes against the catch Y, and at once 'disengages it from the stop y.The weight V instantly elevates the outer one substituted in its place,after which the above-described operations are again repeated, with theexception of the adjustment of the braking mechanism S s T t, whichrequires no attention after it has once been properly regulated.

I have described my apparatus as a flourpacker, that being the use towhich it will genera-11y be put; but Ido not propose to limit the"machine to this purpose alone, as it is evident it may be employed forpacking calcined and land-plaster cement of any kind, &c.

I am aware that elastic couplings have been heretofore used, but I amnot aware that they have been combined with apower-driven drum thesudden movement of which, when thrown in gear,'renders it very desirableto provide means for overcoming the abrupt action.

' What Iclaimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of vthe detachable trunk D, the hopper-gate B, theintermediate funnel O, expanding toward the top and communicating withthe trunk at its contracted lower end 0, and the shaft E, provided witharms 6, arranged in the funnel above the lower end thereof, all as setforth.

2. The combination of the sliding platform L M, the screw-shaft E,driving-pinion h, clutch H, and connecting mechanism whereby the saidclutch is operated on the movement of the platform, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination of the sliding platform, winding-drum N, andconnecting chains or bands secured through the medium of a yielding orspring coupling to the platform,.as set forth. 7

4:. The combination of the sliding platform of a flour-packer, abalance-weight and cord, and a drum of gradually-increasing diameter,whereby the leverage exerted by the weight increases in proportion tothe increased weight upon the platform, as set forth.

FREDERICK WOLF.

Attest:

D. P. KENNEDY, AUSTIN T. EARLE.

